CEA Names 2011 Inductees for the CE Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame honors the consumer electronics industry leaders who have shaped the advancement of innovation.

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The inventor of flash memory and a U.S. satellite broadcast pioneer are among the 2011 class of inductees for the Consumer Electronics (CE) Hall of Fame. The CE Hall of Fame, created in 2000 by the Consumer Electronics Association, honors the consumer electronics industry leaders who have shaped the advancement of innovation.

“The consumer electronics industry creates innovative products that make our lives better,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “Innovative products come from innovative people, and the success of our industry is built upon technologies and products created by the leaders we honor in the CE Hall of Fame.”

The CE Hall of Fame includes inventors, executives, engineers, retailers and journalists who are selected by an independent panel of industry judges. The judging for the 2011 inductees took place in New York City on Feb. 23, 2011. Nominations were submitted by industry professionals and media through online submissions.

The 11 new honorees will be inducted into the CE Hall of Fame at an awards dinner during CEA’s Industry Forum to be held in San Diego, Oct. 23-28, 2011. More information about registering for CEA’s Industry Forum and attending the Hall of Fame dinner is available at CE.org.

Following are the new members of the 2011 CE Hall of Fame in the categories in which they were inducted:

•Dr. Andrew Viterbi invented the Viterbi algorithm used for decoding convolutionally encoded data that is used in cell phones for error correcting codes, as well as for speech recognition, DNA analysis and other applications.

Founders/Corporate Executives

•Dr. Eli Harari – Co-founder and former CEO of SanDisk. The company invented or co-developed many of the standard memory card formats used in CE products ranging from digital cameras to smartphones.

•Stanley S. Hubbard – In 1981, Hubbard Broadcasting started U.S. Satellite Broadcasting (USSB), and was instrumental in the development and launching of the first digital satellite system for television in 1994.

•Sam Runco – Founder and CEO of Runco International, the company was the first to introduce a line doubler with a multi-frequency projector in 1990 as well as the first multiple-aspect-ratio controller, the ARC-IV, to the high-end home theater market.

Retailers/Buying Groups/Distributors

•Sandy Bloomberg – Founder of Tweeter, the specialty consumer electronics retail chain that had more than 100 stores that marketed high-end electronics products.

Long Island entrepreneur Paul Sidney, Buffalo legend Dan Neaverth and Syracuse radio owner Albert Wertheimer will be inducted into the N.Y. State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame at its Executive Conference in June.

At its annual convention in November, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) will honor Standard Broadcasting President and CEO Gary Slaight with the Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcast Excellence.